Freshman year of high school has always been a tough year for students - with less structure, greater responsibility, and challenging academics. Students who do well in 9th grade are more likely to graduate high school than those who don't. In today's larger, test-driven high schools, freshmen tend to feel isolated and overwhelmed, so teachers and administrators have to do more to ensure a welcoming and nurturing learning community for their youngest students. Show this program at your next improvement team or school climate committee meeting. This DVD features a freshman transition program that builds community within the high school and helps freshmen achieve academically. Use the program and the workshop outlines and activities from the viewer's guide to Explain why a freshman advisory program is critical to overall school improvement. Help your school develop strategies for teaching freshmen how to succeed academically and socially within the high school and later on in life. Demonstrate how to use grade 10-12 students as mentors in your freshman-year transition program. Scenes throughout the video and interviews with teachers and students explain how to ensure your program is focused on Teaching freshmen how to manage their time, set priorities, use good study skills, and monitor their own progress. Developing leadership and teamwork skills of the student mentors. Helping teachers manage the program, train student mentors, identify freshman students who are falling behind, and assess the effectiveness of the program.